Brake-rigging release.



T. L. BURTON.

BRAKE RIGGING RELEASE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

T. L. BURTON.

BRAKE RIGGING RELEASE.

APPLICATION man JUNE 14. 1911.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. -FIG-4.:-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS L. BURTON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN BRAKE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

BRAKE-RIGGING RELEASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed June 14, 1917. Serial No. 174,672.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improyement in Brake-Rigging-Releases, of whlch improvement the following is a specifica Thi invention relates to brake rigging, and mOI'e particularly to the release action thereof, and has for'its principal object to provide improved means for controlling and 'stributing the release movement through the system of brake rigging, so that the clearance between the wheels and brake shoes when released shall be substantially uniform for all the shoes. Another object is to. protween the truck wheels and showing a clasp type of brake rigging embodying my improvement;

Fig. 2, a plan of same;

Fig. 3, an end elevation of the lower portion of a truck lever and its connections with the truck frame;

Fig. 4:, a side elevation of the same; and Figs.5 and 6, views similar to Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, but showing a slight modification.

My improvement ma be employed with various forms of equa ized brake systems, but is herein illustrated lin connection Wlfih a, brake ri of the c as type, in w ie there ar lli' ke beams 9, at both sides of each pair of wheels, with two sets of truck levers and rods, one at each side of the truck, the truck levers 11, being ivotally connected at their lower ends to t e jaws 8, rigidly attached to the brake beams, and connected together by rods 12, at an intermediate point, and at their upper ends by rods 13, with levers of adjoining pairs of wheels, except atthe ends of the truck where one truck lever may be attached to a fixed fulcrum on the frame, while at the opposite end a connection is made to a brake cylinder. The brake beams are hown in the form of I- beams havin trunnions at their ends, and are suspende by hangers 14:, connected to said trunnion and to the truck frame. The brake heads 15, may also be pivotally mounted on said trunnions.

According to in improvement a pivoted member, such as t e arm 10, is mounted on the frame and is actuated upon its pivot by the movement of the brake beamor connec tions in applying and releasing the brakes.- In the referred construction, the arm 10, is provi ed with a slot 16, through which extends a bolt 01' pin 17 carried by a link or hanger 18, which may be mounted on the same pivot 19, on the frame as the arm 10, and at the lower end, connected to the same p1vot pin 20, that joins the lower end of truck lever 11 to the jaw of the brake beam. The additional hanger 18, assists in supporting the brake beam and serves to maintain the beam in a substantially parallel relation as it swings to and from the wheel in the a plication and release movements. The pm or bolt 17, is provided with a nut and friction washer whereby the link 18, is clamped to the arm 10, with sufficient ressure so that the same move together in tile normal operation of applying and releasing brakes. The arm 10, is preferably in the form of a bent lever having a certain limited free movement relative to the frame, and provided with a fixed 'vers and rods for actuating the same,

. movement of said proper amount of clearance between the. brake shoes and wheels. If there should be a tendency, during this releasing action, to swing any particular brake beam through a greater distance from the wheel, this force reacting against the stop 21, will distribute be brought up against the wheels with full pressure, the frictional resistance between the link 18, and arm 10, will be overcome and the pin 17 will be shifted along the slot 16 a suflicient distance to allow for this movement. This automatically takes up the excess of lost motion and compensates for the wear of the shoes and wheels, thereby maintaining the clearance substantially constant throughout the life of the brake shoes and under t e variou conditions of wear.

If desired, an individual release spring, such as indicated at 22, in Figs. 5 and 6, may be applied to each of the bent lever arm 10, this spring reacting between the stop 21 and the lever arm, whereby the spring tends to return the arm from 1ts inward limit of movement, that is, when the brake shoe is against the wheel to the opposite limit" during the release action, an thereby move the link 18 and with it the brake beam and shoes to the release position. It will now be seen that my improvement not only operates to not only maintain a rompt and substantially constant and umornr release action of the brake shoes, but also furnishes an improved brake beam suspension and maintains the brake beams in a parallel horizontal position during the, application and release movements.

Having now described my inventioon, I

what I claim as new and desire to secure Letters Patent is:

1. In a brake rigging, the combination with the brake shoes and a set oftruckfleo a ivoted on the truck frame and ay the release movement of the rigging, and a stop for limiting the movement of said pivoted member.

2. In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers and rods for actuatin the same of a pivoted lever arm operate by the release movement of a truck lever, and a stop for member actuated limiting the 3. Ina brake rigging, the combination with brake shoes, and a set of truck levers and rods for operating the same, of a movable member mounted on the truck frame and actuated by the application and release movements of a truck lever, and a stop for limiting the release movement of said memer. I

4; In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers pivotally connected therewith, of a lever arm pivoted on the truck frame and having a positive connection actuated by the application and release movementof a truck lever, and a stop for limiting the release movement of said arm.

5. In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same, of a hanger for a brake beam, a movable member connected to said hanger, and a stop for limiting the release movement of said member.

6. In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same,,of a Hanger for a brake beam, a lever arm pivoted on the truck frame and connected to said hanger, and a stop for limiting the movement of said arm. 4

7 In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same, of a hanger for a brake beam, a lever ,arm pivoted on the frame and having a frictional connection with said hanger, and a stop for limiting the movement of said arm.

8., In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams having jaws, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same, of hangers pivotally connected to said jaws, pivoted lever arms connected to said hangers, and stops for limiting the movement of said arms.

9. In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams having jaws, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same; of hangers pivotally connected to said jaws, lever arms mounted on the same pivots as the hangers and connected to move therewith, and stops .for limiting the movement of said arms.

19. In a brake rigging, the combination with brake beams, and truck levers and rods for actuating the same, of a hanger for a brake beam, a lever arm pivoted on the truck frame and provided with a slot, :1. bolt carried by the hanger and extending through said slot, a nut on the bolt for clampin the hanger and arm together, and a stop or limiting the movement of said arm.

11. In a brake rigging, the'combination brake beam, a lever arm pivoted on the truck frame and connected to said hanger, a spring acting on said arm, and a stop for limltin the movement of said arm.

12. n a brake rigging, the combination of brake beams, truck levers pivotally connected to the brake beams, hangers attached to said beams on the same pivot with the truck levers, pivoted lever arms connected to said hangers, and stops for limiting the 1 movement of said arms. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y THOMAS L. BURTON. 

